A former NASA engineer claims his electrostatic propulsion system generates enough thrust to overcome Earth’s gravity — a feat that contradicts known physics. While the claim is sensational, experts warn it requires rigorous, independent verification before any conclusions can be drawn.
The dream of propellant-less propulsion has long captivated engineers and dreamers alike. The promise of unlimited travel, no fuel tanks, no mass to carry — just pure, silent thrust — is seductive. But physics, as we know it, says it’s impossible. The laws of conservation of momentum and Newton’s third law are not optional; they are foundational. And yet, here we are, again, with a new claim that threatens to rewrite the rules.
Enter Charles Buhler, a former NASA engineer who now leads Exodus Propulsion Technologies. His team claims to have developed a device that generates thrust without expelling mass — a feat that would violate Newtonian mechanics and Einsteinian relativity. According to Buhler, the device operates on a “New Force” generated by asymmetrical electrostatic fields, enabling center-of-mass translation without propellant. The device reportedly produced enough thrust to overcome Earth’s gravity in 2023.
“Essentially, what we’ve discovered is that systems that contain an asymmetry in either electrostatic pressure or some kind of electrostatic divergent field can give a system of a center of mass a non-zero force component,” Buhler told The Debrief. “So, what that basically means is that there’s some underlying physics that can essentially place force on an object should those two constraints be met.”
This isn’t the first time someone has claimed to have broken physics. In 2001, British engineer Roger Shawyer introduced the EmDrive — a device that purportedly generated thrust without propellant. The EmDrive was hailed as a breakthrough, but after decades of testing, the scientific consensus was clear: it was bunk. In 2021, exhaustive tests at Dresden University of Technology confirmed zero thrust, debunking the device’s claims. The EmDrive’s story is a cautionary tale — a reminder that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
Yet, Buhler’s team insists their device is different. “The most important message to convey to the public is that a major discovery occurred,” Buhler told The Debrief. “This discovery of a New Force is fundamental in that electric fields alone can generate a sustainable force onto an object and allow center-of-mass translation of said object without expelling mass.”
The team’s background adds weight to their claims. Buhler helped establish NASA’s Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center — a facility responsible for ensuring rocket safety. His team also includes engineers from Blue Origin and the Air Force. They’ve spent decades investigating propellant-less drives, refining their designs, and observing incremental improvements. Their work is not a flash-in-the-pan; it’s a decades-long pursuit.
But here’s the problem: physics doesn’t care about decades of tinkering. The laws of motion and conservation of momentum are not negotiable. If a device generates thrust without expelling mass, it violates Newton’s third law — and that’s a problem. For propulsion to work, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. If there’s no propellant, there’s no reaction — and no thrust. That’s not a theory; it’s a law.
“It’s not impossible that Buhler et. al stumbled across some unknown quirk of physics,” one physicist told onlytrustedinfo.com. “But it’s an extremely unlikely outcome. The scientific method demands reproducibility, peer review, and independent verification. Without those, the claim remains speculative — no matter how impressive the team’s pedigree.”
The device was presented at the Alternative Propulsion Energy Conference (APEC), a gathering of engineers and enthusiasts who are often willing to explore fringe ideas. While APEC provides a platform for unconventional thinking, it is not a substitute for peer-reviewed science. The conference’s co-founder, Tim Ventura, has been quoted as saying, “We’re not here to validate physics — we’re here to explore possibilities.” That’s not the same as proving something.
Before any of this becomes science fiction, the claims must be independently verified. That means third-party labs — preferably those with a reputation for rigorous testing — must replicate the results. If the thrust is real, it must be measurable, repeatable, and explainable within the framework of known physics. If it can’t be explained, then it’s either a measurement error, a hidden variable, or a breakthrough that will reshape our understanding of the universe.
For now, this is an “improbable engine.” The term “New Force” is a red flag — it’s not a term that appears in any standard physics textbook. It’s a placeholder for something unexplained. Until that something is explained, the claim remains speculative. And until it’s independently verified, it remains science fiction.
For the average reader, this is a story worth watching — but not believing. The history of propellant-less drives is littered with false promises. The EmDrive, the Helion Drive, the “quantum vacuum propulsion” — all of them were eventually debunked. The only way to avoid being misled is to wait for the science — not the hype.
For developers and engineers, this is a reminder that innovation must be grounded in physics. No matter how clever the design, if it violates the laws of nature, it won’t work. The only way to move forward is to build on what we know — and to be willing to admit when we’re wrong.
For the rest of us, this is a story about the enduring human desire to defy gravity — and the stubborn laws of physics that keep us grounded. Until someone can explain how a device generates thrust without expelling mass, we’ll keep watching — and waiting — for the science to catch up.
Stay tuned. The future of propulsion may be more revolutionary than we think — but it won’t come from ignoring physics. It will come from understanding it — and building on it.
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